Rules
- 1 song per artist per list
- No set rankings (order is generally good to best)
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"Young Boy" - NINE.i
- co-composed by VAHN, Joohyoung
- co-written by VAHN, Joohyoung
Music video (English subs available)
Performance (English subs available)
Full cam view of music show performance
I talked about NINE.i and this mini album quite a bit already, so I'll just dive right into the this title track. This song is another 80s inspired pop song with some rock influence. I think "Young Boy" flows well, has well-written lyrics, and really good choreo (made by Auspicious crew)! The pre-chorus, chorus, and bridge are my favorite parts — mainly for the vocals. Speaking of vocals, I loved how Joohyoung harmonized with his vocals in the MR (music recording) during the final chorus when they performed this song live.
I feel like this is another one of those songs that just really appeals to me personally and may not make a lot of sense to other people why it's on my list. I just find "Young Boy" very catchy and memorable, and I love that it's both nostalgic and uplifting. I also think it's one of the most refreshing boy group title tracks from last year.
"ME= (NANEUN)" - JUST B
- co-written by Geonu, JM, DY
Music video (English subs available)
Music show performance
Third time's the charm when it comes to JUST B, because their company FINALLY figured out that their rock based tracks are always the best/one of the best songs on every album and made one the title track of JUST B's third mini album! I'm not sure what it is, but rock just seems to bring out the best in this group. Also, side note, this mv was filmed in Los Angeles 😄
"ME=" is an upbeat pop rock song with a little reggae influence, mainly in the rap in the 2nd verse. Honestly, I could do without the reggae part, but admittedly, I don't like the genre much to begin with. It flows just fine in the song and supports the rap well, so I can't complain about it much. My favorite parts are the bridge and the final chorus (again because of the vocals). The pre-chorus does a good job at building up the energy and anticipation for the chorus as well. The choreo is solid, but I think it could've been a little better. I probably would've ranked this title track a few spots higher if I liked the choreo more.
"Eye To Eye" - LIMELIGHT
"ME=" is an upbeat pop rock song with a little reggae influence, mainly in the rap in the 2nd verse. Honestly, I could do without the reggae part, but admittedly, I don't like the genre much to begin with. It flows just fine in the song and supports the rap well, so I can't complain about it much. My favorite parts are the bridge and the final chorus (again because of the vocals). The pre-chorus does a good job at building up the energy and anticipation for the chorus as well. The choreo is solid, but I think it could've been a little better. I probably would've ranked this title track a few spots higher if I liked the choreo more.
"Eye To Eye" - LIMELIGHT
Music video
Shortened live performance with Suhye and Kim Park Chella
Similar to FIFTY FIFTY, LIMELIGHT seemed to pop up almost out of nowhere last year. What's crazy is that this self-titled mini album was a pre-debut release! The album featured two title tracks, "StarLight" and "Eye To Eye", and I was so surprised by the quality of both title tracks! I chose "Eye To Eye" for this list because of the lovely vocals.
Suhye definitely shines the most on this track, but I love what MiU and Gaeun bring to this track as well. The first half of the chorus is beautiful and the second half ups the energy while still featuring gorgeous vocals. I think the chorus is so lovely and addictive. Suhye's high notes at the end of the bridge are also extremely memorable!
Sadly, LIMELIGHT didn't promote this song on any radio or music shows, despite it also being a title track. They made a few videos for the song which was nice. There's a "live" version, but honestly I can barely hear a difference between the studio version and the "live" version. There must be a ton of pitch correction or something on the audio, which I dislike. However, Suhye also performed a shortened version with a guitarist and you can hear a bit more of her raw vocals in that video, so I linked it here. I really like how the instrumental sounds on electric guitar too! I just wish it was the full song and that MiU and Gaeun were in the video too...
"Eye To Eye" English translation
"DANCE ON" - ALICE
Music video
Music show performance
Full cam view of music show performance
ELRIS, a girl group that debuted in 2017, re-branded as ALICE in 2022 after being on hiatus during the worst of the pandemic. All 3 songs they released in 2022 were really good, but I was most obsessed with "DANCE ON". This is a new-tro song, but instead of drawing the majority of its influence from 80s synth wave/pop like most k-pop songs lately, "DANCE ON" mainly draws from disco.
This title track is so fun, upbeat, and catchy throughout. The entire song is driven by a funky bass line that's really addicting. Both the pre-chorus and chorus are super catchy, but the chorus is definitely the highlight of this title track! The choreo is a lot of fun as well! ALICE's synchronization is also quite strong, which adds another layer to this great song. "DANCE ON" never fails to raise my mood and energy whenever I listen to it. It's hard not to smile while listening! I'm so glad ALICE is releasing great material since re-branding, and I hope they'll keep up the great work this year!
"DANCE ON" English translation
"Dilemma" - Apink
Music video (English subs available)
Music show performance (with THE boots ✨)
Apink are beloved veterans in the industry, and to celebrate their 10th anniversary, they released the special album HORN. While I knew a number of their earlier hits, I never delved into their discography much. I have to say I was really impressed with this entire album, and "Dilemma" in particular really had a hold on me last year. I was also obsessed with "My oh My" which just missed my b-sides list sadly.
The synths on "Dilemma" are quite in your face at times, but I really like them in this title track. Apink has really strong vocalists with unique vocal tones, and they really shine in this song. I really like the first verse vocals and the pre-chorus is one of my favorite parts. I really like the guitar in the first part of the pre-chorus, even if it feels a bit random, and the vocal melodies are so catchy. Even though there is a lot of repetition in the first half of the chorus, I still really like it. I think part of it is that I just like how they say dilemma lol. The second half of the chorus has actual substance and features their strong vocals.
As for the second verse, I think it's really cool sounding, but the latter part of the verse is a bit jarring instrumental wise. I wish it fit into the song a little better, but I still enjoy it anyways. This song's instrumental doesn't flow as smoothly as I initially expected, but I think it adds a quirky sort of charm, which makes it more memorable in a way.
I have to note that I absolutely loved the styling for "Dilemma"! All the outfits were stunning (the knee high gold boots, for instance, are ICONIC), and their makeup was gorgeous as well! As for the choreo, I love the point choreo at the beginning of the chorus — it's just so smooth and captivating. The dance break choreo is pretty good as well. Apink will have a comeback in April, and I'm really looking forward to it after loving this album of theirs!
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Not sure if I have any regular readers, but in case there are, I'm sorry it's been taking me so long to get posts out lately. Things have been a bit busy and unpredictable lately, and I did lose some of my momentum from when I started the blog. I've been watching more tv in my free time because I've been more tired lately. Not to mention almost all of my free time was going to this blog in January, and it just wasn't sustainable for me.
By the way, please feel free to leave comments! Honestly, I feel weird asking for comments at the end of every post, because I don't want readers to feel pressured to comment. But the one comment I received from one of my friends on my first legit blog post really made me happy, so yes please comment your thoughts or suggestions if you have any!
By the way, please feel free to leave comments! Honestly, I feel weird asking for comments at the end of every post, because I don't want readers to feel pressured to comment. But the one comment I received from one of my friends on my first legit blog post really made me happy, so yes please comment your thoughts or suggestions if you have any!
I hope this works , I’m commenting from my phone lol. Loved this post! I really like this selection as all these songs are really good and unique in their own way! I already have the opening melody of Dilemma stuck in my head lol and the first song stuck out to me too with the rock style! Time to add these to my playlists 🤓
ReplyDeleteYep it's working! I still can't find a good way to comment back on my phone though lol. So glad you liked all these songs, this post definitely had more variety than most of my other ones just by chance! Gotta agree that Dilemma really is an earworm. It sticks in my brain immediately every time I hear it!
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